As a Magnate, I Started Checking in at a Convenience Store

Chapter 709: Plan! (2)
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After parking the car, Zhou Chao headed straight to the cafeteria with Lin Wu. They hadn’t eaten breakfast at the hotel before leaving.

As a seasoned employee of OceanTech, Lin Wu still had his cafeteria meal card. After a quick look around, they both ordered beef noodles.

Zhou Chao wasn’t sure if the food was good, but the sight of the generous chunks of beef caught his attention.

“I didn’t expect Xu Yu to put so much effort into the cafeteria. That’s worth praising,” remarked Zhou Chao.

“Boss, if Xu Yu hears this, he might just fly to the sky with pride,” Lin Wu chuckled.

“Don’t exaggerate,” Zhou Chao replied with a smile.

They began to eat, and soon, several tech employees entered, making the cafeteria lively. Zhou Chao consciously slowed down his eating pace.

The tech staff avoided discussing work-related matters and instead engaged in casual conversations. It seemed they were cautious about confidentiality, even within the company.

As Zhou Chao finished his noodles and signaled Lin Wu to leave, he noticed Xu Yu entering. Xu Yu immediately spotted Zhou Chao and Lin Wu.

“Boss, when did you guys arrive? You didn’t even let me know!” Xu Yu exclaimed excitedly.

“Why would I need to tell you? Afraid I’ll see something I shouldn’t?” Zhou Chao teased.

“Impossible! After your teachings, I’ve made great progress!” Xu Yu retorted.

“Alright, go grab some breakfast. I’ll head to your office first,” Zhou Chao patted Xu Yu’s shoulder and left without giving him time to react.

Xu Yu hurried to the counter, ordered three steamed buns, two eggs, and a box of milk, and quickly finished his meal in less than two minutes, leaving some of the research staff at the cafeteria astonished.

Before Zhou Chao’s seat could even cool down, Xu Yu walked in. “Didn’t you have breakfast? That’s not good for you!” he exclaimed.

“Boss, how could you doubt my ability? I had three steamed buns and two eggs!” Xu Yu proudly declared.

Zhou Chao nodded faintly at Xu Yu’s words, trusting that Xu Yu wouldn’t lie about something like this. He didn’t press further.

“Boss, are you here to officially announce to the world that we’ve developed the 3nm lithography machine?” Xu Yu rubbed his hands nervously, having waited eagerly for this day.

“Yes, since Zhou Jilong called and said we’ve achieved stable mass production without errors, it’s time to showcase our strength. We’ve been silent for too long.”

Zhou Chao understood Xu Yu’s excitement. After all, waiting on a gold mine without being able to do anything was frustrating for anyone.

“But we need to plan carefully. If we announce the successful manufacture of the lithography machine, we might face the same situation as Juwei. Although we’re not afraid, it’s still worrisome.”

The main issue was that Zhou Chao hadn’t decided whether to sell externally. If they only sold to domestic companies, there might be conflicts with some projects under their company’s umbrella. That wasn’t something he wanted to see.

It would be best to consider companies outside their sector, which wouldn’t affect their development while propelling the rapid growth of the entire industry. It would be a win-win situation.

For example, Juwei, which had no involvement in the communication sector, could be considered. Also, domestic mobile phone manufacturers and car manufacturers could be included in the list.

Of course, specific details needed to be carefully considered.

Xu Yu also understood his boss’s intentions. The closer they got to a critical moment, the more cautious they needed to be. If there were any slip-ups, the losses could be significant.

“So, how’s the development at OceanTech recently? We’re not still stagnant like before, are we?” Zhou Chao took the tea Lin Wu handed him and took a sip.

As the topic was raised, Xu Yu’s face lit up with a smile. “Boss, currently at OceanTech, our research staff has doubled compared to before. Especially, we’ve added four new academicians, two of whom are experts in chip technology. They’ve already undergone preliminary integration and can fully engage in related research!”

Hearing this, Zhou Chao was somewhat surprised. After all, academicians are treasures no matter where they are. He hadn’t expected to gain four all at once, especially in chip technology. It seemed like it was time to implement the chip project, after delaying it for so long.

“We must ensure thorough personnel reviews. Even if the workload is a bit heavier, we mustn’t allow any rats to sneak in!” Zhou Chao emphasized.

“Boss, rest assured. All of them have undergone rigorous screening. Anyone with even the slightest issue has been eliminated. Otherwise, our staff numbers would be much higher!” Xu Yu reassured.

Zhou Chao nodded, tapped his fingers on the table for a moment, then said, “Later, go meet with these experts. Call Zhou Jilong and Lan Ling now, and ask them to come to the office. I have something very important to discuss.”

Xu Yu was taken aback. Something very important? Even projects like the lithography machine were only considered important in Zhou Chao’s eyes. He couldn’t imagine what could match his boss’s definition of ‘very important.’

“Why are you still standing there?” Zhou Chao noticed Xu Yu’s dazed expression and spoke again.

Awakening from his reverie, Xu Yu quickly apologized to Zhou Chao and then took out his phone to call Zhou Jilong and Lan Ling.

The two arrived promptly. Upon hearing that the boss was there and that there was something very important to discuss, they rushed over from their respective areas without delay.

“Boss!” They greeted Zhou Chao as they entered the office. Zhou Chao was sitting in his chair, playing with his phone, while Xu Yu and Lin Wu sat on the sofa beside him.

Zhou Chao nodded. “Okay, now let’s get down to business!”

Zhou Jilong and Lan Ling quickly sat down next to Xu Yu, and all of them put on serious expressions. Only Lin Wu, who knew what Zhou Chao was about to say, had a look of amusement as if enjoying a spectacle.

“Xiao Guo, go greet them!” Zhou Chao said softly.

Just as everyone was puzzled, they saw Zhou Chao’s phone on the table light up, and a somewhat childish voice sounded.

“Hello, Manager Xu, Director Zhou, Professor Lan, nice to meet you! I’m Xiao Guo, glad to know you!”

Upon hearing this voice, Zhou Jilong and Lan Ling stood up abruptly, both unable to believe their ears, wearing expressions of disbelief.

Their sudden movement startled Xu Yu, who asked with confusion, “Why are you two so excited? It’s just a simple artificial intelligence, isn’t it?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yu felt two waves of hostility, emanating from Zhou Jilong and Lan Ling.

“You wouldn’t understand, and we don’t blame you. If it were just an ordinary AI, we wouldn’t be so excited. Just the voice alone surpasses those so-called mature AIs by miles!” Zhou Jilong said indignantly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yu quickly turned to Zhou Chao and asked, “Boss, you don’t mean to tell us this is a real artificial intelligence, like the one in science fiction movies, do you?”

“Exactly, just like the one you imagine, but currently it’s only a basic version. However, it has already surpassed all others. The matter I’m telling you about is related to it. I plan to use it at OceanTech to establish a large-scale supercomputing center to ensure Xiao Guo’s operation!”

“Build it, and build it immediately. If the space is insufficient, we’ll buy nearby land. We must establish this supercomputing center no matter what!” As experts in scientific research, Zhou Jilong and Lan Ling understood the immense benefits this would bring.

“Building it is a must, but we need to change its name. You all know what the birth of artificial intelligence implies. We might become targets of public criticism.”

“Boss, why don’t we learn from our predecessors and go to less populated areas? Then we can openly build it without drawing too much attention. If there are any malicious individuals, we can detect them in time!”

Hearing this, Zhou Chao remembered his previous idea of ​​creating a city of technology in the desert.